The Last Command by Keith Laumer

“The Last Command” is a 1967 science fiction short story by Keith Laumer. It is about an old war machine that is reactivated decades after being buried in a radiation-proof landfill.

Non-Spoiler Summary In A Nutshell:

The Mark XXVIII Combat Unit was a devastating weapon of war that was de-commissioned and discarded nearly 70 years ago. But when Chief Engineer Pete Reynolds of the New Devonshire Port Authority begins blasting for a new spaceport the Mark XXVIII suddenly comes back to life – and is not very happy either! It ignores the fact that it is buried 207 meters underground and begins its journey to finally accomplish its last objective: to seek out and engage the enemy. But who is the enemy now that the war zone is in the heart of a new city – a city with thousands of civilians and a high rise shopping mall? Hmm… good question – you’ll have to read the story and see if the Mark XXVIII is smart enough to tell the difference.

The walls are before me, and I ready myself for a final effort, but suddenly I am aware of trickle currents flowing over my outer surface. Is this some new trick of the Enemy? I tune to the wave energies, trace the source. They originate at a point in contact with my aft port armor. I sense modulation, match receptivity to a computed pattern. And I hear a voice:

“Unit LNE, break it off, Lenny. We’re pulling back now, boy. This is Command to LNE; pull back to ten miles. If you read me, Lenny, swing to port and halt.”

I am not fooled by the deception. The order appears correct, but the voice is not that of my Commander. Briefly I regret that I cannot spare energy to direct a neutralizing power flow at the device the Enemy has attached to me. I continue my charge.

My Two Cents:

• The good:

• I really liked how this story continually changed point-of-views, altering between the Mark XXVIII and the civilians.
• I have read several stories about old war machines, but “The Last Command” may be one of the earliest, and it definitely ranks very high on the list!
• I think the part where the war machine digs itself out of the deep was really cool – a great idea and written well too.

• The bad:

• My biggest gripe with “The Last Command” was the old man and the ending – I won’t give it away, but let me just say that I’m am not convinced things would have gone down like that.
• There are a few instances of strong language.

Fact Sheet:
• Page Count: 15
• Word Count: 6,700

Where you can find “The Last Command”:

• This short story first appeared in the January 1967 issue of Analog.
• “The Last Command” is included in excellent anthology The World Turned Upside Down.
• You can read a free version of this story online at The Fifth Imperium.

Some Interesting Links:

• Did you know that Keith Laumer was an officer in the U.S. Air Force and a U.S. diplomat? Yep. You can learn more about this amazing science fiction author on Wikipedia.
• “The Last Command” is just one in a series of stories about self-aware tank machines, known as the “Bolo” stories. Amazon.com has several books featuring Bolo stories, including Honor of the Regiment: Bolos 1, which has stories by lots of different authors.
• Special thanks to Variety SF for pointing out this great story!

Craving More Stories?
If you enjoyed this story then you might also like Tideline, about the lone survivor of a war – a sentient war machine – and its struggles to create memorials for its fallen comrades, by Elizabeth Bear.

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